1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a cash handling system having an upper unit mounted on a lower unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
The users conventionally use automated teller machines (ATMs) for deposit and withdrawal transactions in financial facilities. The ATM includes a cash handling system, which typically has a cash slot arranged to enable the users' cash deposit and withdrawal, cash cartridges designed to keep bills deposited from and to be withdrawn to the users, and a conveyor line arranged to convey bills between the cash slot and the cash cartridges. One proposed structure of the cash handling system has an upper unit with a cash slot mounted on a lower unit with cash cartridges.
ATMs are installed in financial institutions, convenience stores, and diversity of other locations. There are accordingly various installation circumstances for the ATMs.
One typical installation circumstance of an ATM is outside wall installation to enable the use's access from the outside of a building in financial facility. In the outside wall installation, only a cash slot and a user interface operated for the user's entries of required information are exposed to the outside wall face, while the cash cartridges and the other components are located inside the building. FIG. 13 shows a prior art structure of an ATM in outside wall installation. The ATM includes an operation panel OP operated by a user UR and a cash handling system 10P designed for cash deposit and withdrawal. In this illustrated example, the cash handling system 10P has an upper unit 100P with a cash slot 110P and a lower unit 200P with cash cartridges designed to keep bills therein. The user UR can operate the ATM through an opening provided between outside walls WL and WU. In the outside wall installation of the ATM shown in FIG. 13, the cash slot 110P is located at a position farther from the user UR than the wall surface. The user UR may thus be required to bend over the cash slot 110P for cash deposit and withdrawal. In the outside wall installation of the ATM, the arrangement of the cash slot to be protruded forward from the cash cartridges and to be closer to the user is desirable to allow the user's easy approach and posture for cash deposit and withdrawal. One proposed structure provides a cash slot as a separate unit to locate the cash slot forward from cash cartridges (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-209603).
The cash slot of the separate unit, however, undesirably complicates the structure of the whole system. The complicated structure increases the manufacturing cost of the cash handling system and causes difficulty in removal of jammed bills.
ATMs are often installed as standalone equipment in convenience stores, drug stores, or diversity of other stores. In the standalone ATMs, the arrangement of the cash slot protruded forward from the cash cartridges to be closer to the user would rather interfere with the user's easy approach and posture for cash deposit and withdrawal.
The various installation circumstances change the position of the cash slot relative to the cash cartridges in the cash handling system.